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The Sahara is the largest desert in the world and occupies approximately 10 percent of the African Continent. All living things in the Sahara Desert must deal with extremes in the dry and hot climate. Rainfall is always low here, but it can be extremely variable from year to year and place to place. And while the Sahara is unbearably hot during the day, the temperatures can cool off dramatically at night. The Sahara is one of the hottest regions in the world, with mean annual temperatures exceeding 30°C. In the hottest months, temperatures can rise over 50°C, and temperatures can fall below freezing in the winter. A single daily variation of -0.5°C to 37.5°C has been recorded. The Sahara is also extremely windy.
The surface of the desert ranges from large areas of sand dunes (which are called erg), to stone plateaus (hamadas), gravel plains (reg), dry valleys (wadis), and salt flats. It has got extreme temperatures, hyper-arid regions, scarce vegetation, and a unique fauna. The borders are less arid due to its neighbors: the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlas Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Nile and the Niger River, and the Sahel. Winds are another natural force to consider in this ecoregion. Dust-laden gales and whirlwinds can disperse or even destroy small plants and animals. |
